Meredith's Lacy will take a 'close look' at the neighboring station

Local TV LLC is putting its 21 stations up for sale, including WHO in Des Moines.

WHO-TV is going on the market, and Meredith Corp. CEO Steve Lacy says he will take a look at buying the station.

Local TV LLC, which has owned WHO since 2007, is putting its 21 stations up for sale, according to reports in Broadcast & Cable and other trade publications. Oak Hill Capital owns the group, which includes WQAD in the Quad Cities, plus larger markets including Denver and Cleveland.

Local TV also owns a Fox station in Kansas City, while Meredith owns CBS and MyNetwork affiliates. Meredith owns a dozen stations, and Lacy said he is interested in buying more if they fit Meredith's criteria.

Lacy said he hasn't received any information from Local TV, but that at least some of the stations, including WHO, fit Meredith's criteria. The station needs to be No. 1 or 2 in a mid-sized market or larger and must be an affiliate of a major network. Meredith doesn't want stations that require a radical shift in viewer habits.

"I'm sure when we get the materials, we'll obviously take a very close look at this," Lacy said.

Dale Woods, WHO's president and general manager, says he has no information on the possible sale. Local TV LLC isn't saying anything.

The market for TV stations has been heating up, and stations are worth more in part because of an improving economy and because of Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that spurred more political advertising.

Meredith owns no stations in Iowa, but the state's caucus and swing-state position means it's rich in political advertising revenue.

In WHO's case, Lacy sees another big advantage.

"And you can see it right over there," he said, pointing from his office on Locust Street toward WHO's Grand Avenue studios.

TV news: February was the first full ratings period featuring WHO's new anchor, Dan Winters, who took over the job Nov. 9 from legend John Bachman. Did the move make a difference?

Inconclusive. In total households, KCCI won every time slot in February, winning back the 6 p.m. slot it lost in November. Winters anchors with Erin Kiernan at 6 and 10 p.m.

KCCI also claimed victories at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. among the 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 age groups that advertisers love.

But WHO trumpeted its "incredible ratings growth," particularly among the 18-49 crowd. WHO leads among that age group in the mornings, and its younger viewership has grown 86 percent at 6 p.m. and 15 percent at 10 p.m. compared with a year ago.

Also clouding the picture: NBC had a miserable February, ranking fifth in prime time, which tends to carry over to the affiliate's news ratings.

Woods said WHO's share of 29 percent of 18-to-49-year-olds watching at 5 p.m. is its highest in 16 years.

Viewership was up for both stations, which KCCI news director Dave Busiek attributed to worse weather this winter compared with February 2012.

Brand band I: Not only do John and Mary Pappajohn have a soundtrack to go with the sculpture park they donated, they're also ensuring the arts world hears it.

The arts patrons have purchased 500 copies of the "Symphony in Sculpture" DVD to send to art museums and other contacts around the country. The DVD features maestro Joseph Giunta and the Des Moines Symphony performing the work of Twin Cities composer Steve Heitzeg, who composed movements for nine sculptures in the park.

The DVD sells for $25. Go to dmsymphony.org to pre-order a copy, which is expected to be out this spring.

Brand band II: Des Moines has a new headliner: The River Monks.

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau has chosen the local folk-rock band to promote the area in the regional summer ad campaign.

Nearly 60 bands responded to the bureau's request for local bands to submit music for TV, cable and radio spots. The Metro Arts Alliance and the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition helped choose the River Monks, whose name comes from the city's French origins ("The River of the Monks").

"The ads will embrace the Catch Des Moines brand - edgy, staccato, fast-paced - layering the vibrant cityscape with the abundant range of activities the city has to offer," gushed Greg Edwards, president/CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It was imperative the band's sound matched the region's lively energy, and the River Monks' unique sound is the right fit."

The River Monks won't be the first local band to promote the area. The Greater Des Moines Partnership has partnered with the Nadas at concerts and other events.

The summer advertising campaign featuring the River Monks' music is set to run in Omaha/Council Bluffs, eastern Iowa, central Iowa and southern Minnesota beginning April 22.

Retiring:Robert Mahaffey, a Des Moines city councilman, retired Friday after 48 years with Anderson Erickson Dairy. Mahaffey was vice president and treasurer. He said the Erickson family will take over his responsibilities. ... Jon Croft, 58, who managed the Federal Aviation Administration control tower at the Des Moines airport since 1999, also retired Friday. Croft also served as FAA district manager for 14 air traffic control facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Illinois.

Birthdays: Maquoketa banker Alan Tubbs will be 69 today. Turning 65 on Thursday: West-side gardener and Dahl's checker Mark Elieck Johnson and retired businessman James Aipperspach.Steve Berry, actor and vice president for community affairs at Prairie Meadows, will be 52 on Sunday. Monday's birthdays include Polk County Supervisor E.J. Giovannetti, who will be 72; Iowa first lady Chris Branstad, 61; , and Staci Hupp Ballard, communications director at the Iowa Department of Education, 36.

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Who will run the show at WHO?

DES MOINES BUSINESSES: WHO-TV is going on the market, and Meredith Corp. CEO Steve Lacy says he will take a look at buying the station.